"Why Read Shakespeare?"

1 and 2.  According to the article, students find Shakespeare difficult because the language is obscure, the plots and characters are complex, and readers do not have an immediate understanding of the piece of writing.  Mack answers to these complaints by recommending to read everything over and over again.  He writes that the more someone reads, the more you will enjoy the work of art.  According to Mack, when someone finally "gets" Shakespeare, they are actually getting help for navigating the real world and the truth about himself or herself.  We get these things from actions and reactions of the characters in Shakespeare's plays.

3. We should read Shakespeare because:
     1.  People can enjoy their results from their hard work.  Shakespeare has very intricate plays and a confusing writing style which people do not understand during their first time reading it.  Although, it is complex, the more someone reads it, the more they will enjoy and understand it.  The understanding and joy gives people a sense of accomplishment.
     2.  The plays are aids for people who are trying to navigate the world and the people in it.  The characters in these plays relate to people living during any time because they struggle with the complexities as people today such as love, hate, power, morals, ect.
     3.  Shakespeare is the source from which our thoughts and ideas come from.  Characters in his plays set up real-world fantasies where people have unrealistic (at the time the plays were written, but not now because the plays introduced the ideas) priorities such as romantic love which people took to heart and enjoyed.
     4.  By persevering  through Shakespeare's literary works, we learn to be flexible with how we think.  Shakespeare throws his characters into extreme and twisted scenarios.  His language is only one part of his plays that is bizarre, but we learn to wrap our minds around these difficulties and make sense of them. This process of getting used to something that we never thought to get used to is expanding and stretching or thoughts.
      5. When reading Shakespeare, people grow in emotional intelligence because of the struggles that the characters face to follow their head or their heart.

4. I find that hard work pays off with Shakespeare to be the most convincing argument in which to read his works.  This is a personal decision because hard work does not always pay off and when it does, it's very rewarding.  Hard work also builds character.  I love the feeling someone gets after working hard and it pays off.  That feeling is accomplishment.

Should Diaries Be Published or Not?

I understand that diaries are very personal and powerful; they are literally the lives of other people. On one hand, they should not be shared because they can hurt the people that are discussed and mentioned in them.  They can also distort the view of the writer to the audience.  This was stated in one of entries by Virginia Woolf when the author wrote that she only writes in her diaries when she is in certain moods.  This allows a reader to understand just a small part of someone and not be able fully grasp who they are.  On the contrary, sharing a journal or diary shares historical evidence and helps people to learn.  For example, by using Virginia Woolf's diaries, writers could experiment with more styles for their writing.  One compromise between these two sides could be that a certain amount of time like one hundred years after the author's death be required (unless the author specifies otherwise) before the diaries are published.  With this idea, the people who are involved in the diaries are no longer there to be effected by them and people can still learn from them.

Adding On Methods Of Learning by Lewis Carroll

http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/06/13/how-to-learn-lewis-carroll/

I agree with the methods for learning in the link above in general.  Although, starting at the beginning is very helpful, I find understanding why or where in general someone is going to be very helpful.  An example is when someone is learning to build a structure or reading a book. It's important to know what's needed by the end or the end result, so if one were to get extremely lost, they could at least know the general train of thought to stay on.   Another comment is on the last instruction on how to learn: talking through everything.  I believe this method works, but a parallel method is to write thoughts down.  By writing thoughts down, one can visually sort ideas out and not forget them

How does the time period effect the play Antigone?

How does time period effect the play? What would it be like if it was rewritten in today time period?

If the play Antigone was written in America, today,the characters and some of the opinions would be different but the themes would still stay the same.  An example of one of the themes that would probably change is the opinion on women: in today's society there is a general sense of equality between women and men.  In the original play, women are to be submissive to men.  Creon supports this saying when he specifies that women in particular do not have power over him, a man.  He shares this with Antigone saying "No woman will dictate the law to me."  (34)  Although the theme of power versus love could still be prominent by changing Antigone's social class to be poor  and/or having a low education after her father died.  Today's society tends to look down on people with little money or little education.  This is just one example of a difference between the original and if it were written during today's time.

Even Tiresias Takes part of the Blame for Some Of The Deaths

If the Tiresias had not told the king and queen of Thebes that their son Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother, then they would not have asked a shepherd to put their child on a hill to die.  Tiresias creating this fear in the king and queen lead them to do such actions which started the chain of events.  The end result of this small chain was that King Creon became the king of Thebes.  If King Creon had not become king, he could not have punished Antigone.  Even in the play Antigone, Tiresias takes a part of the blame for the death of the queen's life (Creon's wife).   He explains to King Creon that "All men mistakes./ But mistakes don't have to be forever,/ They can admitted and atoned for." (59)  This explanation made an impact on the chorus who convinced Creon to go try reverse what he had done.  If Creon had stayed where he was, he could have saved his wife from death.

Even though Creon was put to blame in the class discussion for all the deaths, there were other people who were needed to

Justifying Breaking the Law

Is an individual ever justified to break the law?  Why or why not?

One can be justified or considered right or wrong depending on different perspectives. Some examples of priorities that different perspectives have are law, morals, or society.  Therefore, another questions springs up which is what justifies a person and their actions; which perspective is "right."
To relate back to the main question of whether one can be justified to break the law, it depends on what one justifies with.  If one were to justify breaking the law with the government, then the actions would not be justified because breaking the law is prohibited.  Although, when being justified from social perspective, there are times when one is justified.  An example of this is in the movies when someone drinks underage, and then others either follow their lead or the underage drinker gets positive attention from friends. (I've only seen this in movies).  Another way to be justified is morally.  This kind of justification depends on the specific person and what he or she believes is "right."  If I believe that saving a life is the right thing to do, then breaking the law by going into a prohibited zone is justified.

Was Ashoke a Good Father and Husband?

Ashoke acted as a devoted and beneficial father and husband.  Both a husband and father figure are supportive for their family.  In Bengali culture, the husband supports the family by working a job, and providing money for the family.  Ashoke's job as a college professor provides an income that pays for food, a house, and everything else that the Gangulis pay for.  Therefore, Ashoke is considered a beneficial father and husband according to Bengali culture.  When Ashoke allows Gogol the freedom of choice whether to change his own name is an example of a father being beneficial.  By giving Gogol freedom to do something, Ashoke is allowing Gogol to learn to grow up and stand up for what he believes in.  I believe that a devoted father will do something unnecessary for their family like Ashoke picking up the American culture.  An example of Ashoke picking up the culture is when he laid out Christmas presents for Sonia and Gogol.  This wasn't necessary but helped the children feel more like American children like the other children they grew up with.  Overall, I feel that Ashoke supported his family even after his death, but he still gave them the skills to fight their own battles.

Our Own Personal Connections to Gogol

During the English 10a classes with Ms. Maxey, the entire class,  including myself, continued to call Gogol by his "pet name" even when he changed his name to Nikhil.  Even the author continued to call Gogol by his "pet name" after he changed his name.   The only people in the story to call Gogol by this name are his friends who he have known since early childhood and family.  Both of these groups of people could be considered loved ones because they share Gogol's childhood memories.  When a person reads a novel, they learn who the characters in a novel are based on what is directly stated about them, the characters actions, and speech.  This is similar to how people have any kind of relationship in real life.  If only one of the people in a relationship share memories, the one person who receives the memories still has a connection with the person sharing them. Since the readers share memories with Gogol and still call him with his pet name, they have a personal connection with Gogol.

A prediction on Maxine's and Gogol's relationship

I do not believe that Maxine (Max) and Gogol will continue throughout the novel to have a relationship.  Maxine and her family show little respect towards Gogol.  An instance of when this happens is on the first date, when Lydia (Maxine's mother) shows little respect that Gogol started to expect because of his culture.  This event was Lydia not watching Gogol's plate, and offering him more food.  In the text, Gogol compares this experience to when his parents have guests over and his mother is constantly concerned with the guests unlike Maxine's.  Another reason to suspect that this relationship will not last long is that Gogol becomes a part of Max's family but Maxine doesn't become apart of Gogol's family.   The importance behind both of them becoming apart of each other's family is to have a balanced relationship.  The thought that continues to circle around my mind is when will Gogol realize that he and Maxine do not make a good couple.

Should Gogol have changed his name?

Gogol renaming himself Nikhil, represents Gogol's change in character.  I agree with him; Gogol changing his name before he goes off to college and after his years at home was a decision well made by him.  When changing his name legally, he doesn't change being called Gogol from his friends from his childhood and his family.  The importance of keeping his pet name Gogol around him, is because childish name, Gogol, is still apart of him.  The new, sleek, and confident name, Nikhil, is a new part of Gogol that shows how his character changes.  An example of Gogol being effected by his new name is the first time he uses it.  In this experience for him, Gogol uses the confidence he gets from his name to talk to a girl.  Another reason I agree with Gogol changing his name is that is that he directly states to the judge who changes his name legally that he hates the name Gogol.  I believe everyone has the right to their own opinion.  Being that Gogol strongly dislikes the name Gogol, he should not have to live with it.  I believe Gogol should have changed his name because of his preference and change of personality

Becoming an American

Gogol practices and becomes a part of the American culture more than his parents, Ashima and Ashoke.  On Page seventy-five, the reader learns some new, American habits Gogol does like occasionally addressing his parents in English, and sometimes using a fork at dinner.  Both, using a fork at dinner, and speaking in English to his parents are habits that many Americans, including myself, do.  Around the same point in time, Gogol had a thirteenth birthday party with just his American friends, and then, another party with Bengali people.  Ashima becomes more stressed for the party with Gogol's American friends than the Bengali party which expresses to the reader her comfort level with people from her own culture versus people from another culture.
To extend this topic a little further, is the question whether Gogol practicing and becoming a part of American culture a good or bad thing he that he should be doing?  After reflecting on the question, I believe that Gogol practicing American culture to the extent that he continues at during a highschool year, is good because he has to grow up in America and find a job there.  Knowing the culture to a place where one has to work, is important so that person can keep a job and support themselves and getting along with people.  Practicing the American culture to extent that Gogol is,  leaves a smaller amount of room to practice Benglais culture which is important because it is apart of who Gogol is

Ashima's Grandmother's opinion on Ashima living in Amerca

Ashima's grandmother would be proud of Ashima if she lived beyond the point of when Ashima and Ashoke started adopting American traditions.  On Page thirty-eight, Ashima's Grandmother directs Ashima to do what her grandmother would never do, saying that it'll be for the best.  Assuming that Ashima's grandmother was a traditional Bengali woman who stayed at home, took care of the family, and followed Bengali traditions, she would not have taken the risks or experimented with a new culture as Ashima is having to do.  Although, she never traveled to America as far as the readers know, she believed that Ashima was making the best choices in doing so. On page thirty-seven, the text states that Ashima's grandmother "was the only person to predict, rightly, that Ashima would never change," (The namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, page 37).  Ashima did change by adopting American traditions such as Christmas, but she did continue to uphold a Bengali culture in her household by sending Gogol and Sonia to Bengali cultured classes.  If Ashima's grandmother was living when Ashoke and Ashima started practicing American traditions, she would believe that Ashima has changed to adapt to her new surroundings which is doing something for the best of her family who are living in America.

Indian Relationships to American Relationships

Within the first few pages in the novel the namesake, Ashima and Ashoke compare their relationship to American relationships.  Ashima hears another man standing by another woman's bed saying "I love you, sweetheart" (the namesake by jhumpa lahiri).  The text is direct when stating that this is not what would happen in Ashima's and Ashoke's relationship.  Another difference between the relationships of Americans and Indians from the novel, American and Indian pregnant women have very different support systems set up when they are in labor.  From Ashima's view, the American culture consists of the husband and the doctors aiding the woman and being the support system. In the Indian culture, Ashima notes that the immediate family of the woman provides the support system.  Although there are many noted differences between the relationships, there are also similarities which Ashoke and  Ashima can't see from their perspective or the author chooses not to include.  One example of the similarities is the attention to detail that Ashoke and Ashima have towards each other like Ashima's detail about how Ashoke prefers his food salty.  I believe many American relations show there concern for one snore by picking up small details that the average person wouldn't notice about their spouse or loved one.  Another detail that was not thoroughly emphasized was the anxiousness of the father.  Both American fathers waiting and Indian fathers show their anxiety differently, maybe by reading a book or smoking a cigarette.  The inclusion of the differences of the types of relationships and not as much on the similarities add to the feeling loneliness that comes up in the first part of w novel

A Name is Only a Title Page to Someone

Names. Literally, names are sounds and a bunch of letters put together that we, being people who speak the same language and live surrounded in the same culture, associate with a person or animal.  They make it easier to distinguish from person from person.  But they are not all factors that distinguished us.  Most cases, parents give us names and we learn to adopt them for our own personalities and characters.  Thus, for many people their name comes from their family, an influential part of someone's life.  When stating the sentence above, a name doesn't have to be a full name that is given to someone at birth. A nickname given to someone by a family like a sports team is another example of the sentence above.  A name comes from a factor that distinguishes us. A factor that someone chose to signify you

How symbolism helps create theme

The symbolism in the novel In The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez significantly helps to develop a theme in the book.  Butterflies were symbols for the Mirable sisters which was given to them by  rebellion.  Butterflies are beautiful creatures that soar high and inspire many.  The Mirable sisters acted as butterflies in the novel and soared high by helping to lead the rebellion against Trujillo.  The sisters also inspired many as shown all the way through the novel until the end when Dedé shares with the reporter their story.  These symbols in the novel help to develop a theme similar to one must reach for their dreams.
Another example of symbolism in the novel is Patria's house, built on a rock and then destroyed.  Her house represented her life by the way of she built her life to be sturdy in the beginning with a husband who had a steady income, a religious base, and a simple family of the two parents and two children.  Then, Patria joined the rebellion and her life became a wreck. Her family was in ruins and she even went to jail herself.  This example of symbolism helps to develop a theme similar to the sentence that life changes even when not expected, and one must adjust to those changes to live.

Comment #1 for In the time of the Butterflies

The tone in the novel "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez helps the reader to characterize each of the Mirable sisters.
When Patria narrates the story, she uses a sincere and reflective tone which gives her a caring and reflective personality.  She shows her caring personality on page 221 in the quote "I offered Our Lord to take me instead of my Nelson."  This quote shows her care through her sincere tone because of her offer of sacrifice for someone else's benefit.  A different quote used on page 220 that presents a a reflective tone and personality is "My first born, my little ram." This is reflective because the subject of the quote is described in two different ways to shows his personality.
Dedé's tone shows her change in personality from harsh and formal to informal and touching.  On the third page in the novel, she is narrating the story using the third person which adds a formality to a piece of writing.  She also narrates with a harsh tone by using the quotes on page 3 "Oh dear, another one," "There's the obligatory interview," and the last sentence of "Doesn't she have seven more months of anonymity?" All of these quotes express an edge to Dedé's personality.  By the end of the novel, on page 321, Dedé narrates in the first person and uses a touching tone to win the quote " ...and I see them all there in my memory."
Minerva's restless tone shows her rebellious attitude towards her life.  On page 85, Minerva describes her feelings with the phrases "roar off into country side" and "set me free." Both of these quotes describe rebellion against staying still at a certain place. In Minerva's story, she rebels against staying at home.
Maria Teresa, the youngest of the four sisters, writes in her diary using a tone that shows her youth and informality.  She is introduced to the reader by her journal entry which starts out by addressing the diary as her friend by using the word "you" to address the diary on page 30 with "Minerva gives you to me."  She continue to address her book using the word "you" throughout the diary and then draws in it as well.  Both the drawings in the diary, and the personification of the diary add to Maria Teresa's childlike characteristics and informality because the use of "you" in a piece of writing is informal and the use of pictures instead of words to describe items or scenes is used in lower grades of school instead of upper.